1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lacrosse sticks, and more particularly, to a lacrosse head having protrusions on its top and/or bottom edges, which improve ball control.
2. Background of the Invention
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional lacrosse stick 100 having a handle 102 shown in dotted lines, and a double-wall synthetic head 104. Head 104 comprises a generally V-shaped frame having a juncture 106, sidewalls 108 and 110, a transverse wall (or “scoop”) 112 joining the sidewalls at their ends opposite juncture 106, and a stop member 114 joining sidewalls 108 and 110 at their ends nearest juncture 106. As used herein, the area enclosed by the frame of head 104 (i.e., sidewalls 108 and 110, transverse wall 112, and stop member 114) is referred to as the interior of head 104.
As shown in FIG. 1, handle 102 fits into and through juncture 106, and abuts stop member 114. A screw or other fastener placed through opening 107 secures handle 102 to head 104.
For traditionally-strung pockets (which have thongs and string instead of mesh), thongs (not shown) made of leather or synthetic material extend from upper thong holes 116 in transverse wall 112 to lower thong holes 118 in stop member 114. In some designs, such as the design shown in FIG. 1, upper thong holes 116 are located on tabs 117 of the scoop 112. On other designs, upper thong holes 116 are located directly on the scoop 112. FIG. 1 shows four pairs (116, 118) of thong holes that accept four thongs. To complete the pocket web, the thongs have nylon strings threaded around the thongs and string laced through string holes 120 in sidewalls 108 and 110, forming any number of diamonds (crosslacing). Finally, one or more throwing or shooting strings extend transversely between the upper portions of sidewalls 108 and 110, attaching to throwing string holes 124 and a string laced through string holes 122. The typical features of a lacrosse stick are shown generally in Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,495, Crawford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,984, and Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,947, which are all incorporated by reference herein.
Of particular relevance to the present invention are rules relating to the height of the sidewalls of the head. In a lacrosse game, these dimensional requirements prevent a player from using a stick that unfairly protects the lacrosse ball within a deeper pocket, such that it is more difficult for opponents to check the ball free. For this reason, men's rules permit a pocket depth of up to 2½ inches, below a sidewall that is up to 2 inches high. According to the traditional test, when looking horizontally at the sidewall of the men's lacrosse stick with a regulation ball inside the pocket, the sidewall must obstruct the view of at least a portion of the ball. (The total height of the sidewall and pocket must not exceed 4½ inches.) Similarly, women's rules limit the height of the sidewall to 1.8 inches (1⅘ inches or 4.5 cm) at the point of its greatest height, such that the top of a regulation ball placed inside the pocket can be always be seen over the sidewall when looking horizontally at the sidewall.
Referring again to FIG. 1, sidewalls 108 and 110 have an inside face, an outside face generally opposite the inside face, a bottom edge, and a top edge generally opposite the bottom edge. The inside face generally faces the interior of the head 104 (i.e., toward the pocket). The bottom edge is on the side of the head 104 on which the pocket is disposed. Similarly, stop member 114 has an inside face, a bottom edge, and a top edge generally opposite the bottom edge. The inside face of stop member 114 generally faces the interior of the head 104 (i.e., toward the pocket). The bottom edge of stop member 114 is on the side of the head 104 on which the pocket is disposed.
Traditionally, the inside face of a conventional sidewall or stop member is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the front face of head 104. This geometry allows a ball to freely roll over a sidewall or stop member without obstruction, from the back of the pocket to the front face of head 104. Players would prefer, however, means to limit the free travel of the ball over the sidewall and stop member, to better retain the ball within the pocket and maximize ball control.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,056 to Morrow attempts to meet these needs with a lacrosse head having ball retaining ridges that extend along the interior surface of the sidewalls and serve to direct and retain the ball within the pocket. Unfortunately, the placement of these ridges on the interior surface of the sidewalls limits the ball control advantages it provides for the entire height of the sidewall, especially with respect to pocket swing and the geometry by which the ball is rebounded into the pocket. In addition, the placement of the ridges on the interior surface of the sidewalls adds undesirable weight to the head. Finally, Morrow does not provide any specific ball control improvements relative to the stop member.
Thus, there remains a need for a lacrosse head that improves ball control over the stop member and the entire height of the sidewall. Furthermore, there is a need for a lacrosse head that provides these improvements without adding substantial weight and with an eye toward compliance with rules limiting sidewall height.